.png?width=940&height=788&name=Ag%20%20Farm%20(1).png "Ground-mounted solar array on a Central Wisconsin farm")
Focus on Energy business rebate. For systems installed in 2026 on a non-residential meter, Focus on Energy pays $600 per kW up to $2,400, then $50 per kW after that, up to $25,000 total. Your utility must take part in Focus on Energy, and you reserve the rebate before you install. A farmhouse on a residential meter uses the home rebate instead: $600 per kW, up to $2,400. Focus's business page names commercial and multifamily properties, so confirm with Focus on Energy that your farm meter qualifies before you budget for it.
Federal business tax credit. The homeowner solar credit ended after 2025, but a farm business can still use the Clean Electricity Investment Credit (Section 48E). Under the 2025 federal tax law, a solar project that starts construction after July 4, 2026 must be placed in service by December 31, 2027 to qualify. New foreign-supplier rules also apply to projects that start construction in 2026 or later. Have your tax preparer confirm what your operation can claim.
USDA REAP. USDA canceled its old REAP funding notice in April 2026 and published a new final rule on October 1, 2026. Under the new rule, your project must be finished 12 to 24 months before you apply (the first window after the rule may allow up to 36 months), and you must send 12 months of real production data. Ground-mounted solar on certified cropland is not eligible. Neither are systems with parts made in a country the federal government names as a foreign adversary. USDA has not yet announced the next application window.
Farm efficiency rebates. Focus on Energy's 2026 agriculture rebates include $70 per horsepower for a variable-speed drive added to an existing irrigation well pump. Cutting load first can shrink the solar system you need. See all solar incentives.
Ground mount or roof. A ground mount can face due south at the right tilt, is easier to clear of snow and service, and does not depend on the age of a roof. It uses land and needs a trench back to your service. A barn or shed roof uses space you already have, but the roof must be sound for decades, and older pole barns may need an engineer's review. Northwind has built about 195 ground-mount systems.
Three-phase service. Many dairies, grain sites, and shops have three-phase power. The inverter must match your service type and voltage. If you run a phase converter on single-phase service, say so up front.
Utility approval. Your utility must approve any system before it connects. For public utilities, Wisconsin's PSC 119 rules sort systems into four sizes, from 20 kW or less up to 15 MW. Electric cooperatives set their own policies, so buyback terms differ by co-op. Northwind projects by rural co-op:
| Electric cooperative | Northwind projects |
|---|---|
| Central Wisconsin Electric Cooperative | 60 |
| Adams-Columbia Electric Cooperative | 56 |
| Clark Electric Cooperative | 18 |
| Taylor Electric Cooperative | 12 |
| Oakdale Electric Cooperative | 10 |
As of October 2026, Central Wisconsin Electric Cooperative is not on Focus on Energy's participating-utility list, so its members should confirm rebate eligibility first.
Sources: USDA REAP final rule (Federal Register, Oct. 1, 2026); IRS Clean Electricity Investment Credit; Focus on Energy business solar; Focus on Energy participating utilities; PSC customer-owned generation.
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